[mpen-dayton] FW: "Make a plan to vote" & "Voting without the Voting Rights Act" & "It comes down to this" & "This is it. Are you ready?!"

FYI.   Best, Munsup

P.S. Please reply back to me with 'unsubscribe' added to the subject line if you no longer want to receive my e-Newsletters. The convenient link to unsubscribe is no longer available due to security reasons to protect my email servers.

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·         FW: Make a plan to vote

·         FW: Weekend Readings: Voting without the Voting Rights Act

·         FW: It comes down to this

·         FW: This is it. Are you ready?!

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From: Michael, Alex, Linda & the Social Security Works team
Subject: Make a plan to vote.

For nearly as long as I can remember, we've been focused on the 2016 election. And in just a few days, we'll know who won the Presidency, and who will have majorities in the Senate. This time Wednesday, we can start to plan for the next phase of the fight to expand Social Security.

Polls show that, no matter how divided voters are on other issues, the one thing that unites Americans of all political parties is our Social Security system. Republican, Democratic and Independent voters love Social Security, trust Social Security, and want to see Social Security expanded. But while that sentiment is strongly held among voters, there is a stark difference among elected officials.

The Democratic party has added Social Security expansion to its official platform, while Republicans call for cutting and privatizing Social Security.

While together we've been unbelievably successful at beating back attempts to cut Social Security so far, we have to win every single time. And empowering a party with plans to dismantle our Social Security system would be a big step backward in the fight to expand our earned benefits and address the retirement security crisis.

Whatever happens on Tuesday, Social Security Works is going to keep the pressure on, just like we always have. But one big thing you can do to help is simple: Make a plan to vote. Carry out that plan by voting. Make sure your friends and family vote. And keep Social Security in mind when you do it.

You can find your polling place and early voting information here.

P.S. We're going to be keeping the pressure on for Social Security expansion in 2017. Can you chip in $5 to help us have the resources for whatever we face?
    

Find your polling place here

 

 

From: The Editors, The SPLC, FIGHTING HATE // TEACHING TOLERANCE // SEEKING JUSTICE
Subject: Weekend Readings: Voting without the Voting Rights Act

Next week, the country will vote in the first general election in 50 years without the protections of the Voting Rights Act.

The Act was designed to prevent voter discrimination of all kinds and ensure that every American has equal access to the ballot box. Without it, we've already seen reports of unconstitutional voter purges, restricted early voting, and the intentional spread of false information by major political parties.

This weekend, we wanted to share several articles that examine the struggle for voting rights.

First, the SPLC interviewed a woman born in 1920 in Montgomery, Alabama, who remembers when Jim Crow laws discouraged African Americans like her from voting:

Guilford watched the Freedom Riders arrive in her city, only to be viciously beaten by Klansmen while police looked the other way. She took a literacy test and paid a poll tax [while] white voters were exempt.

So, no, Guilford doesn't approve of the many recently enacted laws that could disenfranchise otherwise eligible voters.

Among the many civil rights leaders who devoted their lives to protecting the right to vote was former SPLC President Julian Bond. As The Nation's Ari Berman writes, in 2013 Bond "watch[ed] in disbelief as the Supreme Court gutted the centerpiece of the VRA."

"This is a bad, bad day for civil rights," Bond said. "There's a proven record of discrimination in many states in this country. To imagine that this problem has been solved is a myth."

Today, the SPLC is fighting to protect the right to vote. Our current president, Richard Cohen, testified before a Congressional forum earlier this year:

"The fact that we must be here talking about voting rights 51 years after Congress passed the Voting Rights Act is a national disgrace, one that dishonors the many who fought for the precious right to vote and the millions who were disenfranchised for decades in our country.

"We firmly support Congressional efforts to restore the requirements stripped from the Voting Rights Act. But we know that restoring the Voting Rights Act will not resolve all problems. Our country needs broader reform."

Cohen outlined the SPLC's vision for voting, which includes automatic voter registration, the restoration of voting rights for those convicted of felonies, an expansion of early voting, and the creation of a national holiday for election day.

For a sense of what to expect at the polls, The New York Times' Niraj Chokshi has this helpful guide. Chokshi writes that "voting, [which] may be a basic right, can be a complicated one to exercise."

The right to vote is constitutionally guaranteed and more important than ever. On Tuesday, we urge you to exercise it.

 

 

From: Donna De La Cruz, Reform Immigration FOR America
Subject: It comes down to this

Donald Trump cannot win this election without Florida. That's why over the past four months we have concentrated our resources towards getting Latinos and immigrants in Florida to stand up to his hate. As you probably already know, the race in Florida is very close right now, and we are just 4 days away from the election. Help us protect the future of our families by ensuring Florida voters show up to the polls!

When Leticia Nieves first knocked on the door of the Casiano family, she was glad to hear that they'd planned to vote early. That is until they informed her that they'd go online to make their votes. Leticia clarified that there is no way to vote online, even if it is early, and that voting must be done in person at a polling location. Face-to-face encounters like these are essential to mobilizing hard-to-reach voters, who may have registered to vote in the past but never made it to the polls.

We need your help. Your donation of $15 today will pay for one full hour of Leticia's work knocking on the doors of other hard-to-reach voters.

Most recently, the Washington Post published a piece detailing our efforts. This article inspired over 200 people to donate a total of $5,000. I encourage you to please take a look, learn about the vital work of our teams, and support these critical efforts.

It's not enough to just say that the rhetoric of Trump is wrong. We have to do something about it, friend, and we need your support to knock on as many doors possible in the next 3 days. Make a gift right now to make sure we turn out every vote and protect our families.

P.S. Make sure to read the Washington Post story detailing our work alongside our partners the Center for Community Change Action and Florida Immigration Coalition Votes in Florida this year.

 

 

From: Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Adam, Holly, Kathy, Onyi, Susan, Anathea, Audine, Shannon, Megan, Libby, Emma, PaKou, and Pilar, the UltraViolet team
Subject: This is it. Are you ready?!

Election Day is only THREE days away! Based on early voting numbers, it looks like a ton of your neighbors will be at the polls on Tuesday, November 8th.

It's time to make a plan to join them.

Look up where and when to vote here.

If you run into any issues on Election Day, or you just have general questions about voting, you can call this non-partisan hotline:

866-OUR-VOTE     That's 866-687-8683.

But, the best way to avoid any issues is to be prepared. Find your polling place right now and make a plan for Tuesday.

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UltraViolet is funded by members like you, and our tiny staff ensures small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

 

 

 

End of MPEN e-Newsletter